@cody27 If you decide to appeal the UF decision, your counselor should contact admissions to discuss the circumstances you mention of deaths in your family junior year. Unfortunately, when a school only considers grades and essays, it becomes purely numbers. It put you at a disadvantage because the school probably viewed your transcript as trending in the wrong direction (9th - As, 10th - 2Bs, 11th Bs or mostly Bs?) They may not have taken the time to read your essay/ supplement and consider your circumstances junior year if they were focused on scores/ grades. Good luck to you!
I thought in another thread you said you were applying as an independent. If you got a dependency override of some kind and your parents pay part of your tuition, can you still be considered independent?
@austinmshauri, as an orphan I got a dependency override for some colleges, however others required that I filed out their individual financial aid application with the parents (guardians) that both support me. For the CSS profile I had to apply as an independent because I met the requirements and couldn’t provide my biological parents tax returns :). It’s a big mess, but in my appeal form I explained my situation. I didn’t get an override for some colleges, I still had to apply with my guardians. However some colleges don’t determined institutional financial aid/need according to what the government says.
@ClarinetDad16 Last time I checked in December I was 48/565, top 10%.
That’s good. It would seem your school is not very competitive?
@ClarinetDad16 my school is very competitive. A lot of kids go to very selective universities. The thing that shocked me is that some kids that were ranked around 200 in my class got in and I didn’t.
I’m not a math major, but how is it possible to have a 3.6 UW AND A 5.3 W GPA? So that like getting an extra 1.7 grade points PER CLASS? Something doesn’t add up.
I believe Florida public schools give an extra 2 points for an AP/IB/DE class and an extra 1 point for honors classes.
@Muad_dib Im in IB, took a couple of DE, and lots of AP classes. That’s what it says for my cumulative gpa and w gpa on my transcript.
@Muad_dib I believe AP and IB is worth 6 points, honors is worth (4.5+ or something, forgot) regular is worth 4. The only regular class that I’ve taken was regular aerobics for half of semester, and then all AP or IB
Cody, I salute your maturity and growth. It reads as though you’ve some tough obstacles yet you persevered and that says a great deal about you - and all of it positive. My condolences on your losses. I mean that.
Congratulations on continuing your research into the best options for you.
Most colleges figure your weighted GPA on core classes only. Honors will give an extra .5 of a point. IB, AP, and DE courses will give you a full point more. It makes no difference on which, it will be a point.
I look forward to reading of your final decision and am sure that it will be the perfect option for you (for you’ll make it so) as you step forward into your future.
(I believe too the universe is listening to your internal voice even if you are not - you do not want a large, public school and “it” is trying to only help steer you towards where you ultimately really want to be).
Remember, there is always undergrad to work hard, make contacts, NOT go into debt, and then go to GRAD school. At that level, you will have more options, choices, scholarships, etc. through the hard work, contacts, and mentoring you’re sure to find. 
@dad, not sure why it would not be a competitive school? It reads to me it is…
@cody27, I think you should visit FAU Wilkes Honors College in Jupiter. Excellent research opportunities at Scripps Research Institute-Florida, which is a 5-minute walk from FAU Jupiter campus (it is actually right there on campus). Some of Scripps research is closely aligned with your interest…
Very small class size, with many classes with 10-students or less. The total student population is ~2,500 students and if my memory serves me right, they cover full tuition and you will only have to cover Room & Board. Their dorm (Quad) has their own bedroom.
One of my kids who was rejected at UF, but got accepted to all the other Florida PublicU (UCF, FSU, FIU) and Umich, University of Miami, etc., was seriously considering FAU Wilkes. S/he elected to attend UMiami on a full tuition scholarship, although FAU Wilkes would have been my first choice school, if it was my decision. NCF is also an excellent suggestion, although it doesn’t offer the same research opportunities as FAU Wilkes Honors College.
I would forget about University of Miami, since your SAT score doesn’t make you competitive for much, if any, merit-aid and it is debatable if you would get in with your GPA/SAT scores. I know a number of URM with much better GPA/SAT at Umiami and all they got was half-tuition, which is not much, given their $60K/yr price tag.